Auburn entertains No. 22 Texas A&M in SEC battle

Auburn, AL (Sports Network) - After dropping a hard-fought SEC battle last
week, the 22nd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies will try to bounce back on Saturday
night on the road against the Auburn Tigers.

Texas A&M dropped their first-ever SEC game on opening day, 20-17 against nationally-ranked Florida, but it was able to respond beautifully with five straight wins before falling at home to No. 6 LSU last week, 24-19. Head coach Kevin Sumlin knows that the conference is a grind, but despite the loss, he views his team as one of the league's best.

"Effort was not the problem," Sumlin said following the LSU game. "As long as
our guys continue to give effort like that, we're going to be able to win in
any game. The hump we have to get over is execution and being consistent.
Against a very talented team, the margin of error is really, really small."

While the Aggies have played well, the Tigers have uncharacteristically been
one of the worst teams in the conference this year. Auburn is 0-5 in SEC play,
most recently losing at Vanderbilt, 17-13.

"We have to continue to work," head coach Gene Chizik said following his
team's fourth-consecutive loss. "This is a good football team. The bottom line
is we have to find these wins in the fourth quarter. We have to close these
games out in the end."

As newly-formed conference rivals, these two teams have only met twice before,
most recently in the 1986 Cotton Bowl. Texas A&M has won both matchups.

This bout consists of two polar-opposite teams in terms of offensive
production, with Texas A&M being the SEC's most potent squad both in points
per game (43.0) and yards per game (524.6), while Auburn ranks last in both
categories (15.7 ppg, 276.7 ypg).

Quarterback Johnny Manziel is on pace for one of the best freshman seasons in
conference history, having already broken the SEC record for total yardage in
a game twice (557 vs. Arkansas on Sept. 29, 576 vs. Louisiana Tech on Oct.
13). On top of being a great passer (279.4 ypg, .638 completion percentage, 14
TDs, six INTs), he is also the second-leading rusher in the conference (703
yards, 10 TDs). The signal-caller is coming off his most pedestrian
performance of the season against LSU with 276 yards passing, 27 yards
rushing, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

Mike Evans has benefited most from Manziel's emergence as he ranks third in
the conference in both catches (42) and yards (625). Ryan Swope (30
receptions, 380 yards, three TDs) has also been a big factor in the receiving
game.

Although Manziel is the team's leading rusher, both Ben Malena (462 yards,
four TDs) and Christine Michael (196 yards, five TDs) are having impressive
seasons as well.

The Aggies are much more than just a flashy offense, as they have allowed
their opponents to score just 22.1 ppg. The defense has been solid on third
down, yielding just a 28 percent success rate.

Damontre Moore has been one of the SEC's most dominant defensive players with
62 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks -- all team-highs. Steven
Terrell has two of the team's six interceptions.

Auburn's offensive struggles can be pointed directly at poor quarterback play.
Kiehl Frazier started the season under center but played very poorly (56-
of-103, 664 yards, two TDs, eight INTs). Clint Moseley has taken over in
recent weeks, but he hasn't played much better (38-of-59, 373 yards, TD, three
INTs).

Emory Blake has been productive despite the lack of continuity at QB, securing
a team-high 30 receptions for 425 yards and two scores. No other Tiger
averages more than 24 receiving yards per game.

A solid running back tandem has saved Auburn from being completely inept on
the offensive side of the ball, as Tre Mason (474 yards, four TDs) and Onterio
McCalebb (332 yards, two TDs) each average 5.1 yards per carry. The multi-
talented McCalebb is just the second player in SEC history with 2,000 rushing
yards, 1,000 kick return yards, and 500 receiving yards.

The Tigers defense (25.1 ppg) has not helped matters much in the first half of
the season. It could have its hands full with the Aggies' rushing attack as
the unit surrenders nearly 200 yards on the ground per game.

Daren Bates is one of the best linebackers in the country with 74 tackles, 5.5
tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. Corey
Lemonier has a team-high five sacks and has hurried the quarterback another
eight times.